She gulped but had nothing to swallow. “Are you considering it?”
“No,” he said, reaching for her hand. “Not even close. I hadn’t thought they’d ask, but there was part of me that wasn’t surprised. And that would be my ego saying that.”
“We know you’ve got a big one.”
“I’ve heard it before. They threw a sizeable chunk of money at me. More than I was making before. More than I’m making now and shockingly, I’m making more with my parents than I was before I left and never thought I would.”
“Why? Or are you worried that they are only doing it to keep you here?”
“I might have thought that, but they are paying all three of us the same. I can’t complain about that. And trust me, I’m muchmore relaxed than I thought I’d be. I’m having fun at the job too. A different kind of fun. A different kind of people, but it’s all good.”
“That is what it should be,” she said, letting out a breath she was trying not to hold.
The thought that he might change his mind and pick up and go again was a lot for her to handle.
Not just with how close her son was getting to Jayce, but with the speed she was too.
“I’m learning. It was good to go back and see things in a different light. Those important things I didn’t have before that I’ve got now.”
He was looking into her eyes as he’d said the words, letting her believe she was part of that list.
Her hand reached over, her fingers brushing his, then coming to rest while she tried to figure out what was going through his brain.
“I’m glad you feel that way, but I don’t want to be the thing that holds you back if you’re not happy.”
“I’m happier now than I’ve been in years. Not just my job, but my personal life. Is it different than it was before? Yeah. It is. In the best way possible.”
She smiled, her hand angling, her eyes softening. “I feel the same.”
29
CENTER OF HIS LIFE
Jayce wasn’t sure he was going to admit he’d been offered his old job back. To him, that chapter was closed. He had no desire to reopen it. No reason to keep the offer tucked away like some secret temptation.
He hadn’t told his parents, fearing they’d only use it as ammunition. As a way to make him question himself, to wonder if he’d chosen wrong. Or maybe they’d question themselves and worry they’d pressured him. They didn’t need that doubt any more than him.
But Farrah…he wanted her to know. To understand that staying wasn’t about work or even about rebuilding his health. It was about her. About the way she and Archer had carved themselves into the center of his life without him even realizing it at first.
She was on the list now. The short, sacred list of things that truly mattered.
And hearing her say she felt the same? That was more than reassurance. It was the kind of gift he hadn’t dared to dream he’d be worthy of. Hadn’t even known it was something he wanted.
But now, it was the only thing he was looking forward to at the end of the work week.
Time with her. Time with Archer.
Time for a future.
“What’s going through your mind?” he asked.
“Trying to figure out what is spinning in yours,” she said, laughing.
“I’m not sure I can figure it out, but it’s all good.”
“Then we’ll leave it at that.”
“Tell me about your week. What did I miss with Archer?”
